Canned Fish
I think canned fish gets a bad rap. I guess all canned meat gets met with some trepidation but I’m pro canned meat. (except Vienna sausages…ew).
Canned chicken is good on the boat. It lasts forever and doesn’t need to be refrigerated, plus in a stir fry it’s ok. Canned corned beef hash is an excellent treat on a Saturday morning. And although canned tuna can be lame and is probably packed with dolphin meat, the other canned fishes are AWESOME. So here’s my review of the canned fish section at your local grocery store.
My canned fish interest started when I read “The Voyage of the Cormorant”. A guy sails solo down the Baja, surfing and eating canned sardines along the way. It is a great story and helped me process our failure last season. For our boat journey, it seemed fitting to always have a bunch of canned fish on board. During project days, we almost always hoover some saltines & sardines for lunch. On Fridays in Seattle, we did ‘Tinis&Dines’ (sardines & martinis).
We got a gift of some canned fish from our van life friends, Wayne & Katrina. They gave us a great variety of canned fishes that arent always available at our local Kroger. We tried a few that were not pictured above. But here’s what you need to know before your next canned fish purchase:
Tuna. Canned/bagged tuna all tastes the same. If you’re not gonna eat it mashed up with mayo, canned is better cause it retains some flakes, but the 79 cent cans on the bottom shelf aren’t great, spring for name brand.
In the bags, it’s all pretty lame. Some of the flavored ones are ok, but none are really that good. Costco sells a mercury-free yellowfin in a pouch. This was the best tuna option in my opinion.
Sardines. No need to splurge here. They’re pretty much all the same, but they’re all good. Cheaper brands usually have smaller fish. The ones packed in Mustard are gross. The hot sauce packed sardines are good, but packed in olive oil is best. Add your own hot sauce.
Mackerel: This is the best-canned fish. Slightly larger fish than the sardines, but way more flavor and structure. Every brand of Mackerel we tried was good. World Market has some colorful cans in bright paper wrapping that were the best. It is firm, oily, and is really tasty.
Anchovies: These aren’t really an ‘eat-for-lunch-on-a-cracker’ type fish. But everyone needs a few of these cans in their pantry. Next time you’re cooking something that needs a little extra depth, mush up a couple anchovies into it. They can add great salty umami to pasta sauces, lentil soups, or pizza (assuming you own a full-sized oven). I do most of the cooking in our family, but Taylor is forever the keeper of the secret family caesar dressing recipe, and it requires a few anchovies. It’s BOMB!
Salmon: Salmon shouldn’t be canned. It’s probably more sustainable than tuna, and I’m sure its price tag is justified some way, but canned salmon isn’t great. However, I fully intend to keep exploring canned salmon because I made salmon cakes last month that were heavenly, but the ingredients (With fresh salmon) are out of scooter’s price range.
Trout: Actually really good. Maybe because it was the only smoked fish we had, but it was excellent. You could proudly serve canned trout on a charcuterie board (although maybe mush it up with some cream cheese so it doesn’t look so weird).
In Summary:
The Good:
- Canned meats in general (with some key exceptions).
- Mackerel, king of the canned fish.
- Sardines, and Anchovies should be staples of the pantry, at sea, or on land.
The Bad:
- Canned salmon isn’t flavorful.
- Canned tiny shrimp are horrible and don’t belong on a $24 salad. (looking at you Tide’s Tavern in Gig Harbor)
- People who categorically dismiss canned fish have weak bloodlines and history will not be kind to you.
Editors note: SPAM (king of the canned meats) has been on the grocery list for some time. Once I convince Taylor of its redeeming qualities will make an appearance in Scooter’s Galley.